FIFA RELIEVES ITS SECRETARY GENERAL JEROME VALCKE OF HIS JOB

FORMER FIFA SEC. GEN. JEROME VALCKE

The FIFA Ethics Committee is at it again, this time its bite is on Jerome Valcke, 55, the football governing body’s Secretary General who has been relieved of his job on the advice of its adjudicatory chamber headed by Hans-Joachim Eckert.

The Committee had carried out proceedings against him in respect of allegations of corruption and confirmed the termination of his appointment. The Secretary General had previously been on suspension from all football related activities for the same allegation. The former Secretary General has, however, denied the allegations which are connected to a set up that was supposed to sell tickets for the Brazil 2014 World at a price higher than their official price. The arrangement did not go through; as the contract was rescinded before any tickets could be sold.

The decision to terminate his appointment was finalized by the FIFA Emergency Committee meeting on January 9, 2016, and it was with immediate effect, thus Valcke ceased to be the Secretary General at once with the employment relationship between him and FIFA was terminated.

Like stated earlier, Valcke was before now on suspension from his position as Secretary General with effect from October 8, 2015 and this was extended from January 6, 2016 when the adjudicatory proceedings began against him. His functions as the Secretary General of FIFA would now be taken up by the Acting Secretary General, Dr Markus Kattner.”

This is the latest action taken by the governing body of FIFA as it makes effort to clear the various controversies that have plagued the association in recent times; issues that have led to the banning from all football activities of Sepp Blatter and his Uefa counterpart Michel Platini. Their ban for a period of eight years contributed to the withdrawal of Platini from the forthcoming FIFA presidential elections.

No one can say when all the related matters would be resolved and peace returned to FIFA.